Peru's Roberto Sánchez and Keiko Fujimori urge caution as vote count continues in very tight presidential election

Peru's Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE) said on Monday morning that about 96% of ballots from Sunday's run-off had been counted, with ruling-party candidate Roberto Sánchez and Popular Force leader Keiko Fujimori separated by less than 0.4 percentage points. Domestic polling stations are nearly complete and votes from Peruvians abroad could decide the contest.

In an address late Sunday, Sánchez asked supporters not to declare an early victory and said the result should be left to ONPE's official certification. Fujimori, posting on X, urged her base to avoid street provocations, calling the count "a legitimate institutional process" that must be respected by both campaigns.

International observers reported that polling day passed largely without incident; the Organization of American States and a European Union mission flagged procedural compliance in their preliminary statements. The Lima stock exchange's main index slipped about 1% at Monday's open as investor uncertainty rose over the prospect of a left-leaning presidency after years of right-wing rule.